Did you see that?
April 30, 2012
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
It's only the end of April. But a number of Michigan's contenders already are in championship form.
Check out our best of results, news and notes from the week that was April 23-28.
Boys Track
What a toss: Walled Lake Central junior Cullen Prena tossed the discus an incredible 187 feet, seven inches, to win the event at the Oxford Invitational by nearly 36 feet. In fact, the toss would've won every MHSAA Final dating back to 2003. Earlier in the week he broke the Oakland County record as well. He also won the shot put at Oxford. (Oakland Press)
Girls Track
South still on top: Reigning MHSAA Division 1 champion Grosse Pointe South earned a strong early win at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational ahead of a field that included annual powers Rockford and Williamston and a strong DeWitt team. Bay City Western won the boys meet. (Playmakers.com)
Baseball
Flint Final set: Goodrich’s Bob Foreback and Davison’s Timm Rye will bring more than 1,000 victories worth of experience into this season’s Greater Flint Area Baseball Tournament championship game when their teams face off on Memorial Day. The two will meet after emerging from the field this weekend. (Flint Journal)
How do you score that: Most telling lines from the Kalamazoo Gazette’s story about Comstock turning a triple play and three double plays in one game came from Comstock coach Rich Bailey: “We have not played particularly good defense. In fact, our defense has been a problem. The skill is there; the execution hasn’t been.” (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Girls Soccer
Poll position: Rochester Adams continued to affect the Division 1 rankings while moving up itself. Adams likely helped to knock rival Rochester out of this week’s honorable mentions with a 2-0 win Thursday. The Friday before, Adams downed then top-ranked Troy 4-1. The Highlanders have opened 7-0 and are ranked No. 3 in Division 1. (Oakland Press)
Boys Basketball
Flint Powers coach moves on: Tim Herman led the Flint Powers Catholic boys basketball program only seven seasons, but they were seven of the Chargers’ most memorable. Herman resigned his post last week after more than 100 wins and the team’s only MHSAA championship, in Class B in 2009. (Flint Journal)
Football
Michigan's finest take next step: At least nine former MHSAA athletes were drafted by NFL teams (by my count) over seven rounds Thursday through Saturday. They were:
- DE Nick Perry (Detroit Martin Luther King/University of Southern California) Green Bay, first round
- DT Mike Martin (Detroit Catholic Central/University of Michigan) Tennessee, third round
- QB Kirk Cousins (Holland Christian/Michigan State University) Washington, fourth round
- WR Keshawn Martin (Westland John Glenn/Michigan State University) Houston, fourth round
- CB Chris Greenwood (Detroit Martin Luther King/Albion College) Detroit, fifth round
- S Trenton Robinson (Bay City Central/Michigan State) San Francisco, sixth round
- LB Audie Cole (Monroe/North Carolina State University) Minnesota, seventh round
- RB Edwin Baker (Oak Park/Michigan State University) San Diego, seventh round
- K John Potter (Grand Haven/Western Michigan University) New York Jets, seventh round
Editor's note: Did we miss something? Comment below and tell us about it. Is there an event coming up that we should make sure to note? Comment or e-mail [email protected].
Two Years After Sport Switch, Swanson Completes Rapid Rise with Finals Title
By
Perry A. Farrell
Special for MHSAA.com
February 28, 2026
TAYLOR – A heart condition forced Hudson junior Alexis Swanson to give up basketball in the 10th grade.
She switched to bowling.
It was a good move.
Swanson captured the Division 4 girls singles title Saturday with a 398-301 victory over Ravenna’s Gabby Nutt, who had helped the Bulldogs to the team title Friday.
Swanson’s team lost in the Final to Ravenna, with Saturday’s finale setting up a rematch from the two top teams.
“It helped winning the (singles) title since we lost team,’’ said Swanson.
“I initially started bowling with one hand, but I was terrible, so I switched to two hands. When I threw my ball two-handed, I said I wanted to switch. It worked out. I spend a lot of time over the summer and fall in the bowling alley.’’
Jason Nutt, Gabby’s coach, said: “She’s 93 pounds and throws a 13-pound ball. She just ran out of gas.’’
Swanson qualified first for match play with a score of 1,288 followed by Ravenna’s Taylor Nutt at 1,249; Jasmyn Ranquist of Bad Axe at 1,179 and Kylo Riedel of Breckenridge at 1,157. Swanson saw two teammates also qualify – Brooke Houser, 12th (1,005) and Ellie Loar 10th (1,030).
Gabby Nutt (1,078) and Reese Herremans (982) also reached the top 16 for Ravenna, but the Bulldogs received a first-round blow when junior Taylor Nutt had to bowl her teammate, Herremans, also a junior, in the first round.
Herremans never got it going, committing a dozen open frames in two games and lost to Taylor Nutt, 387-249. Nutt advanced to face Estes Purvis of Ithaca, who had eliminated Hudson’s Ellie Loar in a roll-off (40-27).
Swanson defeated Chloe Squires of Mancelona (400-338) and faced Jonesville’s Morgan Dilyard, who had downed Sandusky’s Victori Shea (323-289). Byron’s Kara Chapman knocked off Hudson’s Brooke House (322-312) and faced Kylo Riedel from Breckenridge, who had eliminated Kourtney Downham of Allen Park Cabrini (423-309).
Ranquist reached the Semifinals by defeating Lakeview’s Brinley Skaggs (413-319) and Gabby Nutt, who had eliminated Harper James of Jonesville (391-387). Swanson beat Dilyard (391-221) to move to the Semifinal against Chapman, who had stopped Riedel (323-269). The other semifinal saw Gabby Nutt take on Purvis, after they defeated Ranquist and Taylor Nutt, respectively.
PHOTO Hudson's Alexis Swanson, far right, stands for a photo with placers at the Division 4 Singles Final.